Donald Trump has claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks about a “declining” United States were aimed at the Biden administration rather than America under his leadership. The comments came during the second day of a high-stakes summit between the two leaders in Beijing amid continuing tensions between Washington and China…reports Asian Lite News
President Donald Trump on Friday sought to downplay comments about the United States being in decline, saying Chinese President Xi Jinping had been referring to the period under former President Joe Biden, not the current administration.
Writing on Truth Social ahead of the second day of his summit with Xi in Beijing, Trump linked the alleged remark to what he described as the damage caused during Biden’s presidency.
“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” Trump wrote.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to comments made privately during talks with Xi or to statements delivered publicly during the summit. On the opening day of the meeting, Xi did not use the phrase “declining nation” during his televised remarks.
Instead, the Chinese President warned against the risk of the two powers falling into what is known as the “Thucydides Trap”, a theory in international relations that suggests conflict can arise when an emerging power challenges an established one.
Speaking during the summit in Beijing, Xi said, according to a live translation: “The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the US overcome the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and create a new paradigm of major-country relations?”
Harvard professor Graham Allison popularised the concept and takes its name from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides. In his account of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides wrote: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
Xi also referred to what he called “great changes unseen in a century”, language often used by Chinese officials to describe a shifting global order and a perceived move away from the dominance of the United States following the Second World War.
Trump’s comments were quickly amplified by the White House, which reposted his remarks and repeated his criticism of Biden.
The President argued that the United States had experienced a sharp turnaround during what he described as the “16 spectacular months” of his presidency. In the same Truth Social post, Trump pointed to stock market performance, employment levels, investment pledges, military strength and global influence as evidence that the country was regaining momentum.
“Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi,” Trump wrote. “But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world.”
Trump also claimed Xi had privately congratulated him on several achievements of his administration during their ongoing talks in Beijing, though no further details were immediately provided.
The summit between the two leaders is being closely watched as Washington and Beijing continue to compete over trade, technology, military influence and geopolitical power. Relations between the two countries have remained strained despite periodic diplomatic engagement.
While both sides have spoken publicly about the importance of stable relations, differences remain over issues such as tariffs, Taiwan, regional security, and economic competition.
Trump ended his post on an optimistic note, saying he hoped relations between the two countries would emerge “stronger and better than ever before” following the summit.
The Beijing meeting marks one of the most significant diplomatic engagements between the two leaders since Trump returned to office, with officials from both countries expected to continue discussions over the coming days.
